This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
On April 27, 28-year-old Kevin Litsalia was shot dead by Kenya Wildlife Service officers in Kakamega County. His family claims they have received threats of dire consequences if they continue pursuing justice for his death.
According to Henry Matekwa, Litsalia's father, the family was awoken by gunshots on the day of the incident. 'We thought police were pursuing criminals,' Matekwa said. However, 15 minutes later, they received information that Litsalia had been hit by a stray bullet fired by one of the KWS rangers.
The officers were on a mission to arrest some villagers over claims that they had collected firewood inside the forest. Matekwa claimed that efforts to seek justice for Litsalia had been futile, as they are always turned away by police officers at Shinyalu Sub-county police station.
Another resident, Metrine Luchetu, 23, was collecting firewood near the forest when she was confronted by the rangers' informer. She was beaten and her right hand fractured in November last year. The matter was not reported to the police after she was threatened with dire consequences.
Residents have accused the rangers of raping women found collecting firewood in the periphery of the forest and even in designated areas where they are allowed to venture. They are now calling on Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko to intervene and have the culprits arrested and prosecuted.
Kakamega County Police Commander Hassan Barua said he was aware of some of the cases, saying many had gone unreported, making it difficult to launch an investigation. 'I am aware of the shooting incident where Kevin Litsalia was killed by a stray bullet. We have taken their firearms for ballistic examination to ascertain who shot the young man before prosecution can be done,' Barua said.
Kenya Wildlife Service, through the acting head of corporate communications Paul Mburu, argued that there had been a lot of logging at the forest and that their work was to protect it. 'We are not aware of any killings, save for the 30 people who were arrested due to illegal logging and have been arraigned,' Mburu said.
